Wayward Band
by Bamboofoxfire Productions
Summary: Running from the infected, pair Faulklin and Komeko wind up hiding in the same house as another suvivor of the infection, Mari. Reluctantly, the trio team up to help each other out, having heard tell of a thriving zone completely safe from infected, Fireflies, even the control of Hunters and Military, but the biggest obstacle will be staying together long enough to reach it. Cowrit


**A/N:** Idk, I improvised on the title. I've been doing a Last of Us roleplay with a buddy of mine, Equinoxsol, and figured I'd share it. It's pretty decent so far, still going and probably will be for a while. All OC's, very improbable cannon appearances by Joel, Ellie, or any other in-game characters, just so ya know.

In case you didn't already know I like to post some of my good roleplays with my RP buddies up, so this is another one of those.

The two characters Faulklin and Komeko belong to me. Miranda belongs to Equinoxsol respectively.

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**Wayward Band  
A Last of Us collaborative Fanfiction/Roleplay**

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Gutteral howls echoed down the decrepit halls of a building long ago missing the glass from it's windows and claimed by thick patches of moss and creeping vines. Obstructed sunlight mottled the floor through the windows that was littered in sun and rain ruined parchment, filthy cloth, and torn, molded furnishings.  
Breathing hard, a shorter figure ran down the long corridor with a second behind them, connected only by a joined hand. Eyes darted searchingly, horrid screeches and chattering echoing behind them by their hunters. A split decision had them veer off to the side into one of the rooms.  
A foul curse was uttered under the breath of the first figure as they found themselves backed into the dead end of a crumbling bathroom, water long ago vacated from a yellowing toilet, cracked tiles and fragments of mirror scattered about the floor.  
The only thing that could drown any of the horrid noises of their pursuers was the panicked sound of blood pounding in his ears, his mind working quickly to try and think of a way to safety.  
The open space of a dingy washer and dryer, a pair of shuttered doors sitting open, seemed their best bet at this point. With a quick, whispered command the other figure, slightly taller, clammered up onto it as quietly as possibly, the first joining them. It took a moment of struggle but he got the shutter doors to slide shut, plunging the black-hoodied figures into partial darkness.  
Both took a few audible, hard breaths before falling silent, barely even daring to breathe.  
Only seconds afterwards, a grotesque human figure burst into the room, snarling and grunting as bloodshot eyes darted about hungrily, moving with a jolting tick as it searched for it's prey. A single blue eye peaked through the wood slots of the door apprehensively, catching a partial view of the inhuman thing that was intent on finding them.  
It was followed closely by a more hunched, slower human figure, but with a face that mushroomed out in angry red, pusstulous layers that overtook most of it's head, letting out a crackling clicking noise that was far from human.  
After what seemed several minutes, the creatures departed to search elsewhere. Even so, neither dared move, listening carefully until they couldn't hear even the faintest traces of the infected. Once they were certain to be alone, both let out a slow sigh and manuevered the doors open, slipping out quietly.  
"That was way too fucking close," the first figure muttered, a young male voice.  
"Yeah," the second, female, agreed.  
"Let's get the Hell out of here, before those things come back," he announced, grasping a hold of her hand again and taking the lead. "And be careful not to make too much noise. We don't know how close those things still are."  
She simply nodded her head and followed along, the pair creeping out cautiously and keeping their sense alert, first taking down the stairs and halting just before each corner or space they couldn't see to listen for signs of any more infected.  
Or, likewise, any other people that might have been about. If there were, more than likely they'd be hostile.

_'Don't look back, Mari, don't look back,'_ the girl told herself, breathing heavily as she sprinted, just out of reach of a couple of the fasters ones. _'God, it's a good thing I'm in shape...'_ Rounding a corner, she added an extra jolt of speed, wanting to get far enough away that she could hide.  
Finding a small house with its front window broken, she jumped in, rolling on glass that cracked beneath her small body. Grunting, she stopped herself from moving anymore as she listened, straining her ears for sounds of life-or lack thereof. When all she heard was the sound of her own breathing, she rolled over to get to her feet, careful not to cut herself on the glass.  
Once she was on her feet, she straightened her clothes before taking out the knife she had used to protect herself. Moving through the moldy, wilting furniture, she searched the front room for any sign of movement.  
In one of the back rooms, she thought she heard something, but was still too wired to do anything. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves, not wanting to start being jumpy and hurt herself accidentally.

Holding his breath, the shorter male poked his head around the corner of the building, scanning it carefully and listening, but there was nothing. Not knowing where else the infected might've been, and not wanting to find out, he led the way from the larger building and through the back streets, keeping low and alert. A lot of the places were boarded up completely, impassable without spending a lot of time ripping out boards and making a lot of noise.  
He stopped abruptly as he heard further howls and running, more of the infected. Whether they were still running about searching for the pair or had found another victim to chase down, he wasn't about to wait to find out, running forward and looking about for a good place to hide.  
The cracked doorway of a sliding glass door beckoned and he veered off towards it, sliding it open enough for them to slip inside before shutting it and locking it. If any infected saw them inside it wouldn't hold them out but it would slow them down from that side, at least. He could still hear the howls but they were muffled and dying away with distance.  
The pair paused a moment to breath and relax a little, but it was a short-lived relaxation as he heard a shifting of sharp glass shards, motioning to duck behind something and hide. The other figure nodded silently and ducked behind a kitchen island while he moved to the doorway, only just barely looking around it so he could see the human figure.  
He could tell right away that it wasn't one of the infected, but that didn't mean that they would be any less dangerous. Quietly he grasped the end of what appeared to be a black cane tied to his side, drawing out the guardless short-sword from it's sheath, waiting and listening for the person to come through the doorway.  
If they simply left the house and went on their way without even noticing it's other occupants, that would be the ideal, but he wasn't going to wait until they had the jump on him to find out. Better safe than sorry.

After making sure the front room was safe, Mari, again hearing shuffling in one of the back rooms, took out her knife, deciding that whatever it was was going to get steel in its mouth if it decided to try and jump her.  
Brushing back her hair, she slowly began moving towards a hallway, hoping to find food or something in the building. Most houses had been looted already, but Mari knew that occasionally it was worth checking out houses, given by the sixty-four ounce can of peaches she once found. It had been a pain lugging it around, but by God she had been eating well for at least a week.  
Thinking that she saw movement, she immediately moved to that doorway, not wanting to be caught unaware by something, alive or dead. "If you're living, you better come out right now," she said, keeping her voice low so that it didn't carry.

Faulklin listened carefully, imagining the pacing and placement of whoever else had taken refuge in the house based upon the few sounds he could pick up. When it came to moving silently and detecting his surroundings, he was pretty much a pro. His entire survival since his first memories, be it because of infected or other people, had been ridiing on it his whole life. His partner wasn't quite so adept at any of it, at least not yet.  
He listened to the voice that spoke out, having heard or seen him from some position in the house. Someone relatively young...either teenager or young adult, and female. Only one, not a group. He was pretty sure he could handle that.  
Of course gender didn't have much bearing these days on a person's capabilities or how dangerous they could be, at least not those that actually survived. Anyone who managed to get by, especially moreso outside of the Quarantine Zones, had to have some merit.  
He debated for a moment what to do, flexing his hands over the handle of his blade and exchanging a glance with his hiding partner, but it went without saying that it was wisest to avoid conflict and bloodshed whenever possible. Even if he managed to come out victorious, he couldn't afford to become wounded with how scarce supplies were, and especially medical supplies.  
"Funny," he tossed back in a sarcastic quip, not moving from where he was positioned, ready to attack if they came through the door after him. "I could say the same. Who gave you the authority to dictate to others what to do?"

"I'm not the one hiding," she stated, keeping her voice low enough so nothing infected could hear her, but loud enough that he could probably tell where she was in the room: right in the middle. From his voice, he could have been anything, anyone, but she decided that she could take him, whoever he was. At least she knew there was someone alive here, and not more infected liked she had been afraid of.  
Tugging at the sleeve of her shirt absent-mindedly, she frowned before saying, "If I say 'please' would that help? Look, I'm just avoiding a fight. I don't need to get more banged up than I already am." Sighing, she faced the doorway, wishing she could detect where his position was without getting any closer. Who knew if he was crazy, violent, or both? No way was she taking a step closer unless she had to!

"Served me well up to this point," Faulklin retorted when she felt the need to point out that he was the one hiding, rolling his single good eye even though she couldn't see it from where she was positioned.  
Still, whoever she was, he could have done worse. It was certainly a lot better than the trigger-happy band of rogues they'd damn near fell victim to in the last town, nevermind the dwindling number of infected that had been in the area.  
Taking a preparatory breath, he poked his head slightly around the corner, trying to get an idea of the person, and more importantly, what sort of weapons she had. It looked like the only thing she was toting was a knife, no firearms. At least none that were already in-hand and visible. Guns presented the greatest danger for the most part, since they could kill from a distance.  
Disappearing back around the side, he briefly motioned for his partner to stay hidden for now before he stepped out cautiously, eyeing the stranger carefully from beneath his black hood, the long scar over his left eye glaringly visible against pale skin even in the dim lighting. He was short in stature, especially for a male, shifty and suspicious, and even the baggy sweater he wore couldn't quite hide his small, skinny frame, probably in his mid-teens. In his hand still gleamed the unsheathed short-sword, ready to use if she tried anything.  
He was more than experienced in handling his own when it came to a fight and violence, but his companion wasn't, not having been outside the Quarantine Zones more than twice at most. Best to take precautions and make it seem he was alone, at least until he could assess the danger level, so he didn't put her in harms way if it could be at all avoided.  
Deciding to just skip straight to business, he tossed out the obvious question, which would probably have an obvious answer but he asked it anyway, just to get the ball rolling.  
"What are you doing here?"

"The same could be asked about you," she responded, before adding, "I'm just trying to survive, same as anyone else in this godforsaken land." Eying the kid up an down, she determined that he must be near her age, though he was easily a couple inches shorter than she was. Deciding that she could probably take him in a fight, she took a less guarded position, thinking that if she gained his trust she could get out without needing to fight.  
Brushing her tongue over her lower lip, she said, "I didn't come here to kill nobody. Was just avoiding a bunch of infected, you know?" She tilted her head, he dark hair falling in her eyes.

"Same, just surviving." He replied curtly, watching her carefully with a sharp eye. He could tell with relative ease that she was sizing him up, and didn't think much of him. Something that usually turned out to be a mistake on other people's parts but he never felt the need to point out that he was more formidable than his size implied.  
It would be to his disadvantage to give away his skillset to a total stranger, possibly a hostile one, instead of just let people have their assumptions and lower their guard, and words didn't mean much when it came to actual fighting or defending anyway. What mattered when it came down to it was the real abilities, not what was said about them, and letting others get a taste of his skills for themselves.  
He opened his mouth to speak for a moment, almost slipping up to say 'we' but caught himself just in time with little pause.  
"I was just here looking for supplies, when I ran into a bunch of infected too." He said, not relaxing his own guard despite that she had, and eyeing her with obvious distrust. He was far from good at actual interaction but that didn't mean he couldn't read people incredibly well, and his suspicious nature only made him more attuned to picking out deciet.  
If anything he'd probably be a lot more hard pressed to pick out sincerity before ever falling victim to any sort of lies or cons, though with the state of the world and the people who lived in it, it wasn't as though that sort of thinking wasn't justifiable.  
"I lost them a short while back and heard more not far off and ducked in here. I take it that it was you they were chasing."

"Guess so," she answered simply, before glancing down to check on her shoes. Before she had needed to run, they had been falling apart, the seams coming undone from years of use. Now, the seams were completely broken, the sole coming out of one and the back end falling off of the other, so it would slap the ground wherever she walked.  
"I don't suppose you would have any running shoes I could trade a day's worth of water for? These are kind of coming apart..." She gestured towards her own shoes, frowning at how frayed and worn they looked. Seeing the distrust in his eyes, she said, "Look, I just wanted in from outside. I didn't even know you'd be in here, and as soon as I think it's safe again, I'll leave, okay? Do I honestly look like a perv or a murderer?"

The teen only shook his head when she asked about shoes, motioning with his blade to the stairs. "I haven't searched the place yet, might be some still in here somewhere," he said, reluctant to even be speaking to anyone but putting up with it for now. It definately beat dodging under bullets and maltov cocktail bombs, though not by much, in his opinion.  
When she went on to try and defend herself against his distrust, he only narrowed his single eye, not the least bit placated.  
"Doesn't matter what you look like, whether you're a cold killer or just a bumbling moron drawing infected like a flame to moths doesn't make you any less of a threat," he spat, not really caring if his words offended or not. "And if you think I'm going to warm up to you because you can babble out a few words about your competency or innocence, you're sooner going to suffocate holding your breath on it."

Mari had to roll her eyes at that. "I just want you to get the fucking sword away from me. I don't care you don't want to be 'friends' or trust me in the slightest. I came in here so I wouldn't be killed, same as you. I was only trying to be kind because that's what 'polite' means. So, up yours," she said, giving him the bird.  
Turning from him, she sighed softly, not sure she trusted him not to run her through the moment she turned from him. Running a hand through her raggedly-cut hair, she glanced out the front windows, wishing she was at a different angle so she could see if any infected were down the road. If there were, she might end up spending a lot of time with this jackass.

The teen growled slightly in his throat, the corner of his good eye twitching in irritation. His tolerance fuse was a little on the short side.

"Tch. Yeah, fuck you too, _princess,_" he sneered, having half a mind to just lop her head off, though he knew his companion would be more than a little disapproving of that, which was the only reason he could find not to actually do it. "But if you're expecting a bow or a curtsy, sorry to tell you, you've come to the wrong kingdom. You just keep to your little...space bubble, and I'll keep to mine, and maybe no one's going to get gutted today, got it?"  
Not even waiting for a reply and leaving the threat hanging in the air, he whirled around back through the doorway of the kitchen, going to lean his back against the island counter in the center next to where his companion was crouched, his voice lowered from when he had been confronting Mari but not so hushed it couldn't be heard at all.  
"It's safe enough, no one I can't handle." he muttered, the unspoken question in the girl's dark eyes. "Just stick by me."  
She nodded her head slightly, standing up fully. "Alright."  
Since they had holed up in the kitchen area, the other girl more towards the front and living room, she went about looking through some of the drawers and cabinets for any stray supplies they could use first, Faulklin still leaned against the counter top and eyeing the doorway, keeping watch more than anything.

Having more than a few choice words to say to the kid, not caring about politeness anymore, Mari moved to the bottom steps of the staircase, taking out her knife again and messing around with it, to keep her from fiddling with the sleeve of her light jacket.  
Hearing him talk to someone in a low voice a second later, she thought, _'Christ, he's insane!'_ until she heard an even softer, "Alright." Deciding that it was normal to want to hide someone else, she shrugged, before rolling her eyes, occasionally flicking her golden-brown gaze out the windows.

A brief search of the kitchen turned up a few dwindling supplies but nothing in the way of food, just an old pair of scissors and some old cloth. It was still useable though, something they could find use for at some point.  
After they had searched the room the younger male led them to the front room, pointedly tossing a distrusting, cold glare towards Mari and keeping himself positioned between her and his own curious-eyed companion. They were both dressed similarly in black, close to the same height but she was actually a few inches taller than him. Slightly tanned skin, black hair, dark but naive, innocent eyes, obviously of Asian descent.  
Personality-wise a seemingly polar opposite to the scar-faced boy, not at all looking at all suspicious or cold, and not nearly as unapproachable if first appearances were any indication.

Giving the kid the same finger gesture she had before as he emerged from the kitchen, Mari faced the girl and said, "If you're leaving, there's some infected down the block...they're sorta just milling about there, so avoiding them would help." Tugging softly at her own shabby green long sleeved shirt, she stifled back a yawn, her blue eyes closing. If the pair were leaving in a few minutes, she might as well stay a bit longer, though she was still deciding on her course of action, definitely not wanting to see either if them again.

" 'could figure that out for ourselves," Faulklin muttered, returning the gesture with a scowl while the girl with him looked around a little bit, not finding much else of use. The young male stepped over to the open window for a moment to listen, poking his head out to look. He didn't immediately see anything and fished a pair of bonoculars from his messenger bag, scanning the horizon and streets as far as he could see.  
"See anything?" the girl asked, coming up alongside him to look.  
"A few Clickers, I think, maybe a Stalker or two." he said, lowering and returning to bonoculars to his bag. "It shouldn't be hard to sneak around them. Worst case scenario, we quietly take them out, hope there's no more nearby." He shrugged. "They still look riled up though, should probably wait until they lose their alertness, otherwise they'll be quicker to spot us."  
The girl only hummed in response, stepping back and idly looking about the room until her gaze came to rest on Mari, fidgeting slightly with the bottom hem of her sweater in awkward silence before she actually decided to speak.  
"So...how long have you been here? This town, I mean." She ventured, the frown that crosse the accompanying male's face making it obvious he didn't approve of the interaction, but didn't say anything about it yet.

"A couple years, but on the other side. I only came here because most of the buildings over there didn't have anything left in them and there were getting to be too many infected." Mari immediately decided that she liked this girl more than her partner. At least SHE didn't immediately threaten her.  
"What about you?" she asked the girl, giving a brief smile. "You been in the city long? I spent a while in the train depot, you ever been there?" Mari adjusted her fingerless gloves, flexing her fingers as she rolled her shoulders, standing up to get the blood moving in her legs again.

"Oh, no I haven't. I haven't been on the outside very long, actually. I've lived in one of the Quarantine Zones most of my life," she replied, offering up a polite smile. "A few years is a long time to stay in one place. I hope I'm not intruding on anything personal...but were there others you were with?" It seemed logical that she would have been, with how dangerous it could get on one's own with all the infected about, especially a young girl.

"Yeah. A group of about ten. Till a few months ago someone hid the fact that he'd gotten infected and ended up killing mostly everyone. Those that were left-me, a couple others-went our separate ways. With everyone else dead, we thought it wasn't wise to stay together like that. I've been on my own since then." Mari shrugged, glad to have someone to talk to after months of solitude.  
Adjusting her jacket, she stifled back a yawn. Since her last base had been compromised three days ago, she hadn't gotten any sleep, and her body was feeling it now.

The girl's eyes softened slightly in sympathy as Mari recounted what happened, this not being something unusual to hear but still saddening to the Japanese girl.  
"I'm sorry. It must have been hard." After a moment of silence she offered up a smile, folding her hands in front of her. "I'm Komeko by the way. It's nice to meet you. Mind if I ask your name?"

"I'm Marinda. But I go by Mari, most of the time." She smiled pleasantly, her mind automatically storing information on the girl and her partner. Who knew when she might need it?. "It is nice to meet you as well." Brushing her dark brown hair from her eyes, which she had cut short herself just two weeks prior, she added, "Hopefully you can knock some sense into that one." She nodded at the boy, her green eyes laughing at him.

Faulklin growled in disapproval and narrowed his eye at the girl that introduced herself as Miranda. "Keep it up and I'll do more than knock some sense into you," he threatened in a low, menacing tone.  
Komeko frowned slightly and turned a look of disapproval of her own at him, though it wasn't nearly as intimidating as his by any stretch of the imagination. "_Otouto...ii kamo yo._"  
Whatever she had said was met with another frown on his part but it was noticeably lacking the same hostility as he had when scowling at Miranda, looking more like that of a petulant child than a threatening teenager, the tone betraying a more tame reluctance even if the words were foreign. "_Demo...shitakunai..._"  
"_Otouto._"  
The teen grumped and leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms and casting one last glare of dislike at Miranda before averting his gaze elsewhere, once again his tone holding begrudging reluctance. _"Hai..."_  
Seeming to have won some sort of argument, she smiled and looked back to Miranda. "Sorry, don't mind him. He's just not very good with people yet, but he's not really all that bad," she defended, ignoring another unhappy grunt from Faulklin at the comment. "His name's Faulklin."

Listening to the two silently, Mari decided that she and her group should have learned or invented a different language. It seemed quite useful, especially among strangers, and might have helped in the end. Nodding as the girl introduced her partner, she asked, "What language were you speaking? I've never really been in a quarantine zone, so I barely know my own language, but that one you were just speaking sounded pretty." Marinda smiled slightly, ignoring the looks from Faulklin.

Komeko smiled softly. "It's Japanese. That's where I was born, during the early years of when the infection started, but compared to someone who lived there their entire lives, my knowledge of it is pretty limited. My family left it before I can even remember, and lived in a Quarantine Zone here since then." Her expression changed to look troubled as she added in a quiet voice, "At least...we did until recently."

Mari's eyebrows rose slightly. "Wow," she said softly. "I've never lived anywhere but around here. That's...really cool that you were born outside of here..." She smiled, just liking being able to have a decent conversation with someone, rather than argue or haggle or negotiate over a life. This was like a vacation to her, being able to learn about other people and where they came from. If only her conversations could go this well all the time...

"Yeah, I guess it is. I don't remember any of it, really. I guess I was too young." Komeko shrugged, smiling again. "And anyway, from what I've heard, it's not a place to want to be anymore anyway. Compared to a lot of people these days, I've had it pretty good so far, I think," she hummed thoughtfully, friendly and relaxed, though the same couldn't be said for Faulklin who was still watching Mari with a wary and suspicous scowl no less hostile than when he'd first brandished his sword at her. "So I can't really complain about it either way."

Smiling at Komeko, Mari asked, "So, do you know any good places to hide out in overnight? My last place was overrun a few days ago, so I'm kinda missing out of sleep..." She chuckled, embarrassed, and as she tilted her head slightly, it was easy to see how exhausted she was and his much she needed a good night's rest.

Faulklin scoffed and narrowed his single eye at her contemptably in distrust. "And even if we do, what makes you think you're welcome?"  
Komeko frowned and offered up a small growl of disapproval as she looked at Faulklin again. "_Otouto! Yamete._"  
"_Nani? Boku wa kanojo o shin you shite inai..._" Once again Faulklin bore a petulant pout and seemed to deflate somewhat.  
_"Anata fushin minna. Nii-san wa kanojo o tasukerudeshou yo."_  
Once again it seemed that whatever argument transpired between the two, Faulklin had lost as he averted his gaze to the ground and almost seemed to slump and retreat between his shoulders in defeat, not looking terribly happy but not further replying.  
Smiling back at Mari once more, she returned to her english again. "Nevermind him, of course you're welcome to stay with us. We found a place on the very edge of town, a house that was almost fully in tact, and not many infected around, so it'll be safe. Maybe even so far as to say cozy."  
"That's assuming you survive long enough to reach it." Faulklin muttered under his breath.  
_"Otouto..."_  
"_What?_ I'm just being honest. It's not exactly close to where we are. The place is almost fully across town, it could take us all day, and she could always just end up getting us killed by a pack of infected, making too much noise or just flat out being stupid, or even leaving us behind somewhere as bait for them while she escapes herself. We don't know her and we don't owe her anything either." He pushed himself off the wall and came to stand not to far, glaring her down. "For all we know she could even already be bit and turn into one of those _things_ while we sleep."

Glaring up at him, Mari got to her feet. _'I swear, if this ass says one more thing, I'm knocking his teeth out,'_ she thought, before turning her gaze to Komeko and smiling pleasantly. "Oh, that's alright. I don't want to intrude, and I can find my own place...besides..." she glanced at Faulklin, her tone turning harsh. "I'd rather still be alive come tomorrow."

"Good luck with that," Faulklin scoffed sarcastically, earning an elbow to the side and a look of warning from Komeko, the temperamental teen rubbing his side with a dirty look and grunt of annoyance but falling silent. At least for the moment, since it seemed he had yet to run out of snippy things to say despite previous attempts at getting him to shut up.  
"It's really no trouble. Besides, we'll probably be better off helping each other out anyway, and you seem nice enough. I imagine you couldn't have survived on your own here for so long if you didn't have some idea about what you're doing." Komeko offered up with the same kind smile as before. "Who knows, maybe we can even be friends and stick together if you want."

"Who knows..." Mari echoed. A new group to call her own would be nice. She could actually get some decent rest, and would have someone to watch her back when she needed it. Well, one someone. There was no way she was letting Faulklin watch her back: she'd probably end up dead with a knife stuck in it.  
Glancing out the window, she said, "I think they're gone now...wanna leave or stay here for a bit longer?"

Faulklin's single eye flicked to the window and he took a few steps towards it, poking his head out to look and listen for a moment. "If they're gone, we should get moving. No telling how long it'll last before either infected or other people come around." he muttered. Komeko simply nodded and stepped up to the window, glass crunching underfoot as Faulklin moved to allow her to climb out the window.  
Before he himself followed, he turned to face Mari, still wearing the same perpetual scowl. "Now before we go, let's get one thing straight. You lag behind at all, slow us down, or get caught and I'll leave you behind without a second thought." He narrowed his eye dangerously. "And if you get bitten or turn on either of us, I _will_ kill you myself. Your life doesn't mean one damn thing to me, and it never will, so don't expect anything, especially not for me to put mine or her life on the line for yours. If I had my way, you'd already be dead, but I can still make that a reality if you cross me."  
By this point he sheathed the sword in hand to climb out the window himself, boots lightly clapping the old, creaking wood of the house's porch. He briefly glanced to Komeko and jerked his head in the direction he was headed, taking the lead. "_Ikimashou._"  
"_Hai, Otouto._" She fell in step behind him a little more slowly, glancing back and seeming to wait a little for Mari to catch pace.

" 's if yours means anything to me," Mari said, rolling her eyes. "You become an endangerment to my safety and I'll kill you quicker than it takes me to think it. I don't care how intelligent or quick or strong you think you are. Chances are, I'm smarter, quicker, and stronger. So fuck off before I lose my patience."  
As he exited through the window, she followed, careful not to cut herself on the glass. Once outside, she caught up quickly, her black boots crunching on glass as she checked she had everything, quickly catching up with Komeko.

Faulklin scoffed and stopped in his steps, turning to face her with a narrowed eye, hand twitching around the handle of his sheathed sword.  
"You really want to test that theory, _princess_? If you think I'll go down that easy then just try it."

Mari glared at him, deciding whether or not it was worth risking everyone's safety to prove a point. Instead of letting herself react in an explosive manner to his comment, she simply growled, "Call me '_princess_' again, and I cut your dick off." Deciding that it was a suitable answer, she continued walking, her hand now in the handle of her knife, entirely prepared to make good on her threat. She wouldn't take anything from anyone, least of all him.

The corner of his single eye twitched and he visibly bristled at the blatant threat, his expression flashing dangerously, drawing the blade out in one swift movement. "You..._shi te!_"  
He went to leap forward but Komeko was quicker to grab onto him around the waist and keep him from leaping forward, if only just barely, the smaller male struggling to get free and follow through with his attack.  
"_Otouto! Yamete!_"  
"_Hanase! Hanase, boku wa baka busu o korosu! Kanojo o...korosu..._"

Mari spun around, her own knife already out, grey eyes sharp and calculating as she watched Komeko restrain Faulklin from attacking her. Once it was apparent that he wasn't going to do anything, she said to Komeko, "I don't think that this'll work out...I think I'll be safer on my own." Nodding appreciatively towards her, she walked in the opposite direction, keeping her ears keen for the sound of pursuit.

Faulklin growled low in his throat as Mari spun around to walk off, practically screaming at her back, "Yeah? Good riddence!" His fighting against Komeko stopped and he jerked out of her hold when it slackened, still bristling but made no moves to go after Mari as he re-sheathed his sword. "_Baka ama_."  
"_Otouto_, stop it! You're being rude!" Komeko huffed, stomping a foot at him.  
"_Tch_, I don't care! We're better off anyway. We don't even know that person. I don't like her and I don't trust her."  
"You don't trust anyone," Komeko pointed out, grabbing him by the arm and going to push him down to sit. "I'm going to go talk to her and at least apologize. You stay here."  
"The Hell I'm going to stay here! You're not going anywhere without me!" Faulklin snarled, moving to get up only to have her push him back down again, giving him a stern look.  
"_Otouto, tomaru!_" The male growled again in irritation and fell silent for some moments, offering up a glare before slouching somewhat in reluctant but tense defeat.  
"Two minutes...that's as long as I'll give you alone, but then I'm coming after you. ...'t's not safe." he muttered. Komeko smiled and nodded, whirling around to go after Mari and disappeared around the side of a house, looking about carefully for any signs of infected and Mari. When she spotted the girl she took off after her to catch up.  
"_Matte!_ Please wait up!"

Mari began running as soon as she was out of sight, but that didn't stop Komeko from catching up. Turning to her when she heard her call, she answered, "Yes?" before adding, "If this is to try and make me go back, then I won't make you waste your time. I'm not going back. That guy's a maniac, and I won't feel safe anywhere near me. So I'll have to say no. As long as he keeps acting crazy around me, it'll always be no. Sorry." Mari made a move to turn and leave, feeling her pockets for her possessions.

"I know he can come across in a...really bad way, but he's really not as bad as all that." Komeko said, pausing and resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She wasn't entirely used to running, at least not like Mari seemed to be. "He's just really on edge. You know how I told you before that we lived in one of the Quarantine Zones?"

"Yes," Mari said slowly. For the few years her mother had been alive, Mari had always been told that the quarantine zones were hardly any better than the outside world, except it was people killing each other, not infected. Food was scarce, and people were better off outside, where they could at least live on their feet. "What about the zones?"

"Faulklin isn't actually from the Zones. My brother took him in a couple years ago when he appeared on the border, covered in scars and wounds, and saved his life. He can't remember anyone being kind to him before then, and my brother is everything to him now, his entire reason for living. Two months ago, the Zone we were in became overrun with infected, and we got seperated and haven't seen my brother since," Komeko recounted, visibly trying to hold back tears as she recounted this. "He's incredibly distraught and on edge...borderline manic, not even knowing if my brother is alive or not. Plus, he knows how important I am to my brother, so he's really protective of me because of that, and it hasn't helped that everyone else we've come across has attacked and tried to kill us. That's why he's so touchy right now, but he's really not as bad as all that. I know maybe that's not enough reason to forgive him or come back with us, but it'd be nice to have another person around again. I know he's rude and he has a foul mouth and threatens a lot, but he won't seriously try to kill you unless you're a legitimate threat to me. He's mostly just bravado."

Mari took a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, okay, whatever. But the moment he threatens my life, it's either I kick his ass or I leave. That's my deal. Okay?" In her eyes, it was the only way to make sure she was safe, especially around Faulklin. Komeko may think that he was a nice guy, at least on the inside, but Mari just couldn't take that sort of chance. She PREFERRED living to death, thank you very much.

Komeko gave an odd little chuckle that might have sounded the tiniest touch nervous.  
"I'll try and make sure he remembers that, though honestly, even if he threatens I can pretty much always talk him down. Just try not to take some of the stuff he says too personally, he can be kind of a jerk about what he says someti...okay, _most_ of the time, but honestly we don't even think he even does it consciously." Smiling, she turned back the way she'd come from, glancing back. "Anyway, shall we go back? If we don't he'll just come running unhappily to find me anyway right about now."

"Sure," Mari said, following Komeko briskly. Afterwards, she retreated to her mind, trying to think. Definitely, she would need to keep a weapon on her, at all times, no matter what Faulklin would say. She didn't need someone like that threatening to kill her without having something to protect herself with. Sob story or no, he was still a threat. Sure, she had lost her fair share of people, but she didn't let herself become a maniac like Faulklin.

It couldn't have been more than a minute before they found Faulklin again, meeting him halfway since, just as Komeko had said, he'd come to find them himself anyway. Actually, Komeko was sort of surprised that he'd taken that long.  
"If you're done apologizing to her or whatever, let's go," he said, offering Mari an unfriendly glare. "We've wasted enough time."  
"Alright, though...she decided to come with us after all." Komeko offered up, already prepared for his protests.  
"And I said I don't want her around." Faulklin retorted.  
"Just give it a chance," Komeko insisted. "It just means we'll have another pair of eyes to keep watch."  
"Yeah, and another mouth to feed, and possibly a bumbling idiot that'll get us killed or worse." Faulklin scoffed.  
Komeko seemed to ponder her response for a moment before offering up, "If Nii-san were here, he'd be all for helping and letting her join us, and he wouldn't be happy about how inhospitable you're being. You know that."  
The teen growled low in his throat and his brow twitched visibly in irritation before he turned his head away with a scoff. "Fine, do what you want, but what I said before still stands. She slows us down or turns on us, whether it be me or the infected, she's as good as dead. That's a promise."

"You can fucking try," Mari growled, gripping the handle of her knife. She looked him up and down. 'I can take him,' she thought to herself. 'This prick's just nothing more than a touchy asshole.' Rolling her eyes she turned to Komeko and asked, "Which direction from here?"

"It's to the west of us, I think," Komeko said, looking at Faulklin uncertainly.  
"West, south-west-ish." Faulklin muttered. "Let's just hurry the Hell up. I started to hear more infected lurking about before I made my way here, and if it's all the same to both of you, I'd rather not get bit or torn to pieces by a pack of Clickers," he said, brushing by and taking the lead.  
"I think that's something we can all agree on, right?" Komeko sighed aloud, not particularly to either one but more to the group as a whole, following just behind Faulklin.

Mari followed closely, ears keen and eyes sharp for danger. As they walked, she kept a close eye on Faulklin, still not trusting him. Either way, she wasn't going to sleep for a couple days, not until she was certain that he wouldn't try to kill her in her sleep.  
Stretching slightly as she walked, she sighed a bit, hoping that the place they were going to had a decent bed for her and maybe a pillow and blanket, too. It had been far too long since Mari had slept on something that wasn't the ground.


End file.
